Black Cat, White Dog
by ScribblingBear
Summary: Breakups hurt a lot. One can feel abandoned, broken, and worthless, especially when the one your love left you for happens to be their own sister. While Kyousuke's decision has hurt many women, Ruri Gokou, also known by her screen name "Kuroneko", seems to be taking it the hardest. However, just as it seems hopeless for her, she finds a light at the end of her long, painful tunnel.
1. Chapter 1

Black Cat, White Dog

Chapter 1: I Can't Be Classmates With My Online Friend

By: ScribblingBear

That was it. My book was in pieces on the sopping wet ground, probably buried in snow, my heart was shattered, and my sisters were trying, in vain, to console me as I sobbed into a pillow. I knew the pain would pass, but it was cutting into me as if my heart itself was glass. Hearing Kyousuke confess to me his feelings about his sister shattered it, and the shards scattered and pierced every fiber of my being. I told him I had become a spirit of vengeance, but at this very moment, I just wanted him back.

After a time, my tears slowed to a stop. I had to direct my efforts towards convincing Hinata and Tamaki that it was okay for them to go to bed. Once they were tucked away, I sat down on my bed to think. I hadn't been sitting for very long before my laptop began sounding notifications. There were four, and one was simply an apology from Saori about how things turned out. The other three, however, came with a special. Even in this darkest time, where it felt like nothing mattered, seeing that name, while not making me hurt less, did ease my desire to cry more.

Shiroinu.

He and I first met three years ago in a chat room for Maschera fans. We got along quite well, and I considered him a trustworthy friend. Some days, I even found myself drawing what I imagined he'd look like. Of course, he and I were always toying with each other, as he claimed to be an emissary of light, while I, myself, dwelled in darkness.

I read his messages quietly to myself. "I heard from Saori, and I'm so sorry. I know things cannot be easy for you right now, so please let me know if I can do anything for you."

Even though he couldn't see me, I just shook my head. "I'm afraid only time will help. The darkness permeating me cannot be quelled by any force outside of my own patience."

His next message piqued my curiosity but I was too exhausted to pursue. "Your shadows will fade. I know for a fact tomorrow will be better, and I mean literally. I _know_."

"Thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I was preparing to turn off my computer for the night, but a sudden message from Saori caught me.

"I know you're in pain, but do you think meeting up tomorrow may help? I could help take your mind off of this."

Despite my overwhelming desire to decline, in the end I gave in. "I suppose. Will we be at your home again?"

"Yes, in late morning if it's not too much trouble."

Again, I shook my head at the screen for no reason. "Not at all. Goodnight."

"Sleep well."

As expected, my night was more lying awake with too many thoughts running through my head than it was actually sleeping. By morning, I was groggy, but coherent enough to take care of my sisters. Just like last night, they spent a tremendous amount of energy worrying about me and asking me multiple times if I was sure I was okay. Each time I told them I was, and finally, they let me leave the house.

The cold air bit into me, but the painful thoughts still cutting into my heart made it easy to ignore. The trip to Saori's didn't take me as long as I had expected it to, but it was still past noon. Once I was at the door, I knocked twice and waited. After a moment, the door opened and Saori welcomed me in. Just like she had been lately, the young woman had abandoned her comical glasses, flannel shirt, and twin pony tails and replaced them with her much more refined looks. I appreciated the change.

"Hello, hello, Kuroneko-san! It's cold, so please come in quickly."

I gave her a soft nod and stepped in. "Thank you." Saori began walking back, and I followed soon after. To me left right when we walked in, three coats were hunt up on the wall. A heavy, brown leather jacket, a blue and silver one with a horseshoe on the back, and a golden coat with white fur around the hood, hem, and sleeves. Next to that coat was a gold baseball cap with white, pointed dog ears and a white brim. These most definitely didn't belong to my friend.

"Oh, by the way, I have some people I'd like to introduce you to." As we approached the room we spent most of our time in, she turned my attention to three people looking at her collection of figurines.

The tallest one of them was a blonde, skinny boy dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves ripped off, black jeans with chains in both pockets, and black boots. It disgusted me and made me feel mocked just looking at him.

There was a girl between them as well. A slender, smiling woman with black hair that came down to her shoulders. It was clear to me that the blue coat belonged to her, as her skirt was the same shade of blue, her shirt was blue, and her sleeves were silver. Oh, and the big horseshoe on the front of her shirt kind of gave it away, too. I found her much more visually tolerable.

The young man furthest away from me was a slightly pale boy with glasses, messy brown hair, and a thick brown beard as well. His white flannel shirt and light blue jeans bothered me, mainly because they vaguely reminded me of the short time I embraced the light while dating Kyousuke.

My friend tapped the tall one's shoulder and motioned to me, resulting in all three of these newcomers turning to me with smiles. They all reached their hands out to me as well, but the tall one spoke first.

"You must be the friend Saori told us would be coming. My name's Yatsuhashi Tiro, but feel free to call me 'Yatsu'." He paused after I shook his hand, setting it on his chin. "Hey, you're pretty cute. What'cha think, Mihng? I got a chance with her?"

My straight face turned to a scowl, and the girl grabbed Yatsuhashi by the shoulders and pushed him aside. "Ignore him. My name's Mihng Lo Fey. Nice to meet you miss...?"

I shook her hand, but kind of just muttered "Gokou."

Mihng gave me a semi concerned look, but still smiled. "Nice to meet you, Gokou-san!"

She went over to say something to Saori while the one with the glasses approached me. "Hey. Saori told me you weren't feeling too well for whatever reason."

Having that brought up only made my scowl bigger. I didn't even bother to shake his hand. "Is that so?"

After a moment, he brought his hand down and nodded. "My name's Adam Grizzly. I know you don't know me, and I won't pry, but please let me know if I can do anything for you."

That last part caught my attention and made me lay eyes on Adam again, but Saori interrupted my thoughts by jumping between us. "We're all introduced now? Wonderful! Now, would you all care for some tea?" The three strangers nodded, and she then turned to me. "Kuroneko-san?"

I turned to her, paused, and nodded. "Yes, please."

"Excellent. I'll be back in a moment." My friend turned away and walked into her kitchen, leaving just the strangers and myself.

My attention turned to the three of them again; Adam was staring me, wide eyed. "Did she say Kuroneko?"

When he asked, I narrowed my gaze at him. "Yes, she did. Why do you ask?"

Yatsuhashi and Mihng looked at each other, and she tapped Adam's shoulder. "Is she...?"

He began shaking his head before looking back at me. "Just making sure I heard correctly, is all. Do you want us to call you that as well?"

Closing my eyes, I thought for a moment. "Do what you wish."

After that, we all stood in silence. I had expected at least one of them to speak to me, but they were all quiet and just stared until Adam lifted his hand and pointed to me.

"So... do you dress like that normally, or are you cosplaying Queen Nightmare?"

Hearing him say that caught me off guard, and soon both of the others were nodding as well, with Yatsuhashi speaking. "You're right, that is her outfit, isn't it? Were the roses bigger? I can't remember."

Mihng must have noticed the surprise on my face, as she slipped between the two guys to address me. "We have a tradition of watching anime together on Friday nights. Maschera is always in our lineup."

Knowing this brought a small smile to my face as I gave a nod. "Yes, this is Queen Nightmare attire. As an emissary of the darkness, I feel it is appropriate."

She let out a nervous giggle, trying to keep her smile on. "Oh, that's... nice. What do you mean, uh, emissary of darkness?"

"Does it matter?" The tall boy ran a hand through his hair and winked at me. My disgust was only exacerbated. "She's cute, likes anime, and says cool shit. I have no problems with her."

Adam and Mihng both gave him pointed looks. "Calm yourself, dude." Adam then leaned forward and whispered to him, causing the blonde to look at me.

"Oh... sorry. I had no idea that happened." He raised both his hands up as if he was being arrested or something. "I was just trying to tease."

Mihng stuck her tongue out at him. "She doesn't need teasing."

Before this could escalate any further, Saori came back out with a saucer in her hands. On it sat five cups and a large kettle full of tea. "I apologize for the wait, friends. Adam, would you be so kind as to grab that table against the wall?"

Saori nudged her head, and Adam immediately ran over to grab it. With the table were a few mats that we all sat on as well. Saori poured each of us a cup of tea, turning her attention to me once everybody had some.

Adam took a sip from his cup and smiled. "Thank you, Saori-san. This is delicious. We've got stuff like it in America, but nothing beats the genuine stuff." He then turned to me, but the glare from his glasses made it difficult to see his eyes. "So, how did you and Kuroneko-san meet?" After Adam adjusted his glasses, his eyes came into view, and something about them somehow comforted me. I felt like it was okay to speak because he was there. To this day I can't explain why.

"I'm the moderator of Otaku Girls Unite! and a member of many other online groups. About a year or so ago, I held an offline meetup for everyone in my group, and Kuroneko happened to be one of the attendees."

Yatsuhashi downed his entire cup in one gulp and wiped his mouth. "Really? Neat. That's kind of how we all met, except we didn't plan it. We just kind of came together at an E3 convention one year."

Mihng gave both Saori and myself a bright smile. "I'm actually part of Otaku Girls Unite! as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the area when you had the meetup, so I couldn't make it."

After a moment of thought, I looked up at Adam again. "You said you had this in America. Are you from there?"

He nodded. "We all are, actually. Yatsuhashi's dad moved to America for business, and Mihng's grandparents immigrated there. We all just arrived in Japan late last night."

"Last night?" It was until after I had spoken again that I realized I hadn't even touched my tea, so I took a small sip while I waited on an answer.

Mihng was busy mumbling to the blonde one about being a pig before she addressed me. "Yes! In fact, I think Adam was the only one who didn't sleep for most of the plane ride."

Saori crossed her arms with a grin. "He and I were talking most of the night. We organized this little get together with the intention of helping Kuroneko cheer up."

As soon as she said that, I turned to her with a glare. "What did you tell them?"

"Whoa, calm down, she only told us that you were feeling down. No details or anything." Adam was waving his hands in front of him as he spoke. "I assume you don't really feel like talking about it?"

"Certainly not." I set my cup down and stood up. I don't know what it was, but this entire situation was beginning to frustrate me. "I do not need your pity, either. If you've only come here to feel sorry for me, I'll be taking my leave."

Mihng and Yatsuhashi were both scrambling for words, and Saori bowed to me. "I-I apologize. I wasn't trying to offend you."

I turned away from them and fought back tears as I crossed my arms. "Well you have. Nothing can 'cheer me up'. I'm enveloped by a pain and darkness you could not even hope to comprehend, a maelstrom of shadows not even I myself can control."

What I heard next made me freeze, aside from turning my head. All eyes were on Adam as the words came out. "The darkness permeating you can only be quelled by your own patience, right?"

The young man stood up and approached me. He stood only about a meter or so away from me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I've said this twice already, but I'll say it again: please let me know if there's anything I can do."

Now I had completely turned around and was gritting my teeth. "Twice?"

He took his hand off me and sighed. The other three just watched in silence, but I saw Saori smiling out of the corner of my eye. "Gokou-san, it's me. I'm sure you've figured it out by now."

Of course I had, but a part of me didn't want to believe it. As soon as he was finished speaking, images of a cruel joke began playing through my head. I was being irrational, and I knew that, but the terror was soul crushing, and I was unwilling to take the risk of trusting in the man before me. I wanted to run. I wanted to get away, but my feet were frozen in place as if they knew. All I could do was mutter just barely above my breath.

"Shiroinu."

He just nodded his head. "Yeah."

I fell to me knees, and suddenly everyone was around me, asking if I was okay. Mihng and Saori even offered me their hands. Without a word, I simply made my way back to the table and took a seat, which brought sighs a relief from everyone else.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner."

Everyone else still stayed silent. I assumed they probably knew about my and Shiroinu's history. "I can't say I'm not surprised, but I began to suspect something when I saw your hat and coat. Those are yours, correct?"

"Yes. Don't worry; Saori-san has protected your privacy and not revealed any details of your situation. Kuroneko-chan... the three of us are here because of our job, but when Saori came to me and told me you weren't alright, we all agreed that we needed to see you."

All I could do was look at Adam as his two friends sat back down at the table, too. The other man was scratching his head, but Mihng seemed eager to speak as well. "That's right. Adam talks about you a lot, and while we don't really know you too well yet, any friend of his is a friend of ours."

After looking at Mihng and Yatsuhashi, Adam nudged his head towards my friend. "Saori also told me that this little group was down two members. I can only imagine how bad it must feel to have such a small group cut in half, so I figured we'd join in on your shenanigans. I know we can't replace the two that have left, but maybe we can help fill the void?"

That line finally broke me. Clutching my chest, I hung my head and fought back tears in vain. "I told you... only time could heal the burning wounds I've been left with. Fill the void? You have no idea what you're saying. You foolish mortals could never comprehend the pain I'm being subjected to. And I... and I... I can't speak of it out in the open. Not a word."

Saori closed her eyes and lowered her head a little. "You've spoken very little to me, as well. Why not help us understand?"

I shook my head and tried to lift my head up. What I was greeted with was Adam holding out a white handkerchief to me. "Take it."

Reluctantly I reached out, taking the cloth in my hand and wiping my face. "Thank you. Give me a moment."

Yatsuhashi let out a sigh. "We know you're probably really confused and frustrated right now. Adam and Saori-san have coordinated as much as possible, and Adam's talked to us, so we could try and make this day about you. Unless you want to step out of here, nothing from outside this building is coming into our conversations or activities. And, uh... sorry about earlier."

"You are forgiven. Don't repeat your actions." I took another sip of tea; it was starting to get cold now. "All about me? How do you plan on doing that?"

Saori motioned towards a bag leaning on the wall nearest us. "It's a bit unorthodox when compared to our previous meetings, but we'd like to take your input in regards to things you want to do. If you want to stay here and watch anime or play games all day, we'll be happy to oblige. Do you want to go out and take out your frustrations on trees? We'll go with you."

They all nodded and looked at me again. Once my eyes and face were completely dry, I tried to push the painful thoughts out of my head and think of things to distract myself.

"You three said you came here for your job. What is it you do?"

They all looked at each other, then to Saori, who nodded. Yatsuhashi answered. "We do a few things. We have a band that does small shows and anime intros, plus we have our own video game show on the internet called Triple Teamed. The band work brings in a bit more money, thanks to royalties, but the gaming is a lot more fun."

Adam took the chance to chime in. "We record footage of video games and commentate over it. Not sure if you've heard the term 'let's playing', but that's basically what it is."

I looked down again. Of course I had been listening, but one thing in particular stuck in my head. "You never told me you could sing, Shiroinu."

He quickly shook his head. "Nah, Yatsuhashi does most of the singing, but Mihng has led a couple of our songs. I'm the lead guitarist."

"I see." Despite it quickly cooling, I managed to drink the rest of the tea, and Saori was more than happy to fill up my cup again. "It... it is very nice to finally meet you, Shiroinu."

Adam held up his hand with a smile. "We're not online anymore. Please, call me Adam, Gokou-san."

I responded with a simple nod. "Are you going to be going to school here, too?"

Mihng shook her head. "Yatsu and I finished our last year before making the trip to Japan."

There were many things I wanted to say in response, but I chose to stay quiet and looked at the bag my friend had pointed to earlier. "What do you have in there?"

Before answering me, Saori finished pouring herself another cup of tea. "I've brought the entire collection of Maschera DVDs that have been released so far. There are a few games in there, along with some ones Adam brought."

Despite my efforts, thoughts and memories began creeping into my mind, and I found myself desperate for something to keep them at bay. With little time to actually think, I immediately jumped into what I knew.

"I realize I've been a little short with you all, but I do appreciate what you're doing. I believe it best for me to try and relax. That being said, would you all stay and watch those DVDs with me?"

Everyone started nodding and Adam gave me an "Of course" as he stood up. "You know, I did bring my favorite anime too, in the event that you have a change of heart and decide to try it."

Were I in any other situation, I'd probably have smiled at that. "Maybe, but I'm afraid today won't be that day."

Adam, however, did smile. He made his way to the bag as everyone else, including myself, stood and began setting the room up so we could actually watch the T.V. comfortably. Yatsuhashi and Adam had to bring a couch out at Saori's request while she went to get snacks. The fact that they planned to keep this going as long as I wanted kind of warranted it. We all took seats with Saori, Adam, and me on the couch while Yatsuhashi and Mihng sat on the mats we used when drinking tea. I think it took them ten minutes to convince the other two that they were fine sitting on the floor.

As expected, we started with the very beginning of the anime and chatted about it. The three new arrivals' knowledge and understanding pleased me, but I also found myself thinking about Kirino and her ignorance. I'm sure they all noticed the instances of me literally trying to shake the thoughts out of my head throughout the day, but none of them said anything. Eventually, about two-thirds of the way through season two, Adam's phone went off.

"Hey, sorry to do this, but we have to get going. All of our stuff just arrived at the house we'll be living in, so we need to get that situation straight."

Saori paused the DVD and turned on her lights. "Of course. Be careful out there."

Yatsuhashi gave her a "yeah" and a grin. "We'll definitely be back again soon. Saori-chan, Gokou-chan,you two have a good evening."

Adam held out his hands to both of us. "It was nice meeting you both."

Saori immediately shook his hand. "Likewise."

While reluctant, I eventually did take Adam's hand and gave it a shake. It felt very strange to come into physical contact with someone I had known online for so long. "Yes, it was... nice meeting you, too."

The two boys turned and grabbed their coats. Adam also put on his cap before turning to Mihng. "You coming?"

She waved her hand up and down. "I'll catch up. You can go on without me."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go on ahead."

"Alright." Adam and Yatsuhashi opened the door and stepped out. Once they were gone, Mihng turned her attention to me.

"Gokou-san, I know this may not be any of my business, but please," she folded her hands and bowed to me, "tell me what happened. I swear to you I won't breathe a word to either of the guys. I just... I'm not satisfied with simply knowing you're upset. Please tell me what it is that's making you upset."

At first, all I could do was stare at her. I'm sure she and Saori both knew that I didn't want to talk about it, but Mihng bowing and my friend softly nodding convinced me to give in.

"It's a man. He was incredibly kind, and cared deeply for me. I loved him, and I know he loved me, but he left me for another. His own sister."

The young lady simply sat there in wide-eyed disbelief. "Are you serious? That's terrible! Why... why in the world would somebody do that to you?"

I couldn't help but look down, knowing this situation was partially my fault to begin with. "I tried to bring him closer to his sister, as well as making myself a bigger part of their lives. In the end, I fear have completely removed myself from them, instead."

As I spoke, tears began welling up in my eyes that took everything I had to fight back. Saori put her hand on my shoulder and finished my thoughts for me.

"We all wanted him to be happy, so instead of rejecting, we encouraged him. We only have ourselves to blame."

The other woman lifted her fists just below her chin. "No, it's not your fault! It's his for being a pervy siscon in the first place! That's just... selfish!" After a moment, Mihng let out a sigh and put her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry. That's just _really_ not cool what he did. I assume you aren't going to give me his name or anything?"

I just shook my head. "As much as he hurt me, I still don't hate him."

Saori's hand was still on my shoulder, and now my other one had a hand on it, too. "Well, whatever happens, I'm here for you. Yatsu and Adam, too. You know Adam cares, and while Yatsu can be, well, a _guy_ at times, he does too."

As soon as she brought up Adam, I went to dry my eyes. It wasn't until the soft fabric touched my face that I realized I was still clutching his handkerchief in my hand. "Thank you, Mihng."

"Of course, Gokou-san." Before she could say anything else, her phone started going off. After checking it, she sighed. "Sorry, but I have to get going. I'll see you all later. Oh! Before I forget," she held her phone out before the two of us, "would you like my number?"

Of course, Saori took it first, but I did give her mine as well. "If you want to give it to Shiroinu, you may."

She gave me a bright grin before going to get her coat. "I'll be sured to do that. Remember, Gokou-san, we're _all_ here for you. That goes for you too, Saori-san." After that, she slipped out the door.

I heard a sigh from behind me just before my friend's voice. "Did this help you at all? If your troubles were taken from your thoughts for even a moment, it was worth it."

"I am... surprised. I didn't expect you to go to such lengths for me, nor did I expect I'd ever see Shiroinu face to face like this. So I would say yes, you did help me to a degree. Though I fear this could never be enough to heal my searing pain."

Though not like her, Saori eventually got close to me and put her arms around me. "Would you like to do something tomorrow as well?"

After she let me go, I stood up. "School starts in two days. I want to use tomorrow to prepare. I'm just thankful I'm not going to the same school Kyousuke is anymore." Saying his name stung my tongue, but I hadn't thought about it until I had already spoken. "Thank you for this evening, but I'll be taking my leave now."

"Of course. Be safe and sleep well."

The trip back home was cold and aggravating. Not only was I still slightly confused about what had happened today, but it seemed as if every couple I saw reminded me of... them. Of my own failure. Eventually, it got to a point where I just kept my head down until I arrived home. Tamaki was watching Stardust Witch Meru on T.V. while Hinata was writing something. As soon as they saw me come in, she put it away without letting me see.

"...I'm home."

Both of my sister smiled at me, speaking in unison. "Welcome home, Onee-san!"

It was time to put on a brave face now. I tried my best to smile as I gave them both little pats on their heads. "Sorry I was gone for so long. How are you two? Have you eaten?"

Tamaki was the first to answer. It was honestly kind of sweet how me arriving home could tear her away from Meru. "No, we were waiting on you! Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I am. I met some new friends and spent time with them, and it helped me take my mind off of my troubles. Wait here and I'll make us dinner."

They both gave me big smiles and began clapping. "Yay! Your cooking is always so great, Onee-san!"

The compliment helped me to perk up just a little. After looking at the clock and realizing just how late it was, I immediately made my way into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. Meal time was just like it was this morning, with my sisters still trying to pry into me and see if I was actually okay like I said I was. Luckily, I'm a very good liar, so I had them convinced that I was already over Kyousuke.

For the next few days, I busied myself with getting ready for school. There was a stretch of about two or three days directly after that night where I didn't even answer my phone, but the flood of worried messages from the three Americans, Saori, Kyousuke's other friends, and even the man himself made me realize that was a horrible idea. From the looks of things, the Americans had been busy with the unpacking process, but Mihng said she'd visit me outside of my school on the first day it resumed. Ayase and Manami, while they didn't know me that well, did want to check on me, and I just... deleted any messages or missed calls from the siblings before reading them. I half expected people to come to my door, but I assumed they wanted to give me my space. Those other girls whom's hearts Kyousuke crushed probably felt the same way.

Before I knew it, it was time for school to begin again. The morning of my first day, while cold, wasn't nearly as cold as it was when I made the trip to Saori's. Oddly enough, my uniform was warmer than the outfit I had worn there, too. I had expected this, but the trip to school served as yet another reminder of the life I had surrendered. Being together with Kyousuke and friends with Kirino made walking to school a little less lonely, and while it didn't bother me when I first transferred, it had become hard not to dwell on things like that.

That is, until I arrived at the school gates and was met with a familiar sight. He raised his hand to me with a smile. Without his coat or hat, it took me a moment, but that little ponytail and facial hair was unmistakable.

"Shiroinu?"

"Good morning, Gokou-san! And please, call me Adam. This is my last year of school, but if we're gonna be spending it together, at least use my first name."

When he was done speaking, he flashed a wide grin. It took me a moment to get over the shock of seeing him there, but I finally shook it off and responded.

"Very well then, Grizzly-senpai. I'm going in now."

As I made my way towards the school, Adam walked beside me. He waved and smiled at everyone that passed by, and I noticed that they were looking at me as well. If past experience was any indication, this would end poorly.


	2. Chapter 2

Black Cat, White Dog

Chapter 2: I Can't Tell My Senpai About My Problems

By: ScribblingBear

Because Adam was in his final year, we didn't share any classes. He did give me a "goodbye" before leaving for his homeroom, though. I found myself wondering if he'd be okay making a sudden switch from American to Japanese schools, but there was also a risk of me making a fool of myself if I were to ask since I didn't really know what American schools were like. There was also the fact that, up until I saw him today, I assumed he was the same age as Mihng and Yatsuhashi. Regardless, I had myself to worry about too, so I made my way to my homeroom.

From the moment homeroom started, things were awkward for me. Classes went on, students talked, and events progressed as if nothing had even happened that night. Despite the time that had gone by, Kyousuke and Kirino were still on my mind. I had hoped that not seeing them for such an amount of time would take my mind off of them, but it didn't. At least, not until it came time for lunch.

Most students left with friends, went up to the roof, or to the cafeteria to eat, which usually left me alone in the classroom. I woke up a little later than I would have liked to this morning, so I had to make due with leftovers from last night for my lunch. I was about to take the first bite of my food when the desk in front of mine was pushed against it and the chair moved to seat the man that had just walked in.

"Do you always eat alone, Gokou-san?" Adam adjusted his glasses and smiled at me. "Do you mind if I join you?"

I simply looked away. "I do not, but why are you here?"

The American rubbed the back of his head as he set his lunch box on the desk. "Well, I remember you saying when we first met that you didn't have a lot of friends. Since this is still kind of a new school for you, I was afraid that might be the case, so I came here to have lunch with you just to be sure you weren't alone."

Without a word, I slipped a scoop of curry in my mouth. For some reason, I couldn't look him in the eye, so I kept my gaze on my food. "Why do you care?"

He put a fist against his chest with obvious pride. "A warrior of sunlight would never leave a friend alone. We may have only just met a few days ago, but I've known you for three years, Gokou-san."

His response brought a small smile to my face. It was a bit refreshing to know that all of his talk about being one with the light and such wasn't just something he did online. "And what would an emissary of light want with a denizen of darkness?"

Adam picked up a friend shrimp and dropped it in his mouth. Were I the easily excited type, I would have blurted out "nice catch!" or something. Once he finished with it, he started chuckling.

"Didn't you hear me? Light or dark doesn't matter; it'd be rude not to check up on a friend when I can. That being said, how _are_ you doing?"

"I can say I've been better. The pain is... beginning to subside. Things that once stung me no longer do, at least not as deeply. Some things, at any rate."

Another round of shrimp preceded his response. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Don't coddle me, for one. I appreciate what you've done and are doing, but I most certainly don't need anyone treating me like I can't handle this. Yes, this situation is unfamiliar, but I am no child."

Now I was able to look up at him. I thought that I might have offended him or frightened him by taking a more aggressive tone than I realized, but he was still smiling.

"Right, my bad. Yeah, I know you can handle this yourself, I'm just trying to hammer it in that you don't need to. You can be stubborn, Gokou-san, and you know I'm right."

I felt my face heating up just a bit. Adam and I had gotten into our fair share of arguments about one thing or another online, so he did know how stubborn I could be. Of course, I was extremely tempted to call him out on his own hardheadedness as well.

"You've had your share of stubborn moments, as well. If we keep going down this road, you may even prove my point."

He lifted his hand, raised a finger, and opened his mouth, but then immediately put his hand down. "Ah crap, you got me. If I were to even say you're wrong, I'd be proving you right."

"See?" After eating a bit more, I decided to keep going. "Regardless, a few more days without seeing those two and I know I'll be fine."

He tilted his head. "Those two?"

I nearly choked on the curry I was eating after remembering that I only told Mihng about my situation. "Oh, nothing, nothing! Please, forget you heard that." Suddenly, an idea popped into my head and, at the time, I thought it was genius. "My cats! Yes, my two cats died recently. That's what's gotten me so torn up. I... really loved them."

He looked down at the rice balls in his box, moving them around but not picking them up. "I see. I understand how hard it can be to lose beloved pets. I'm sorry."

"You needn't apologize. There's nothing you could have done." Now I was desperate for a change of subject. Carrying on with this would only get more difficult as time went on. Eventually, I pointed down to his lunchbox since it was the only thing standing out. "So, did you make that yourself?"

After taking a chunk out of one of his rice balls, he nodded. "Indeed I did! Out of the three of us, I'm the designated cook, Mihng won't let anyone else do the cleaning, and Yatsu does all the driving."

"I see. You three must be close."

He gave another nod and finished off the food in his hand. "We met about eight years ago. I liked to play my guitar on the street for fun, and it got to the point where crowds would come to listen. Apparently Mihng and Yatsu had been listening too, and one day they just brought their instruments and joined. It was instant chemistry, and we started talking. After that, we were hardly ever separated."

I let out a quiet sigh and ate as he talked. Again, I found myself looking down at my food so he wouldn't see my face. My expression probably gave away the light jealousy I was filled with by listening to him.

"It must be quite nice, having such good friends to rely on."

"You say that like you don't know how that feels."

His response made me pause and look up at him. "Do you mean Makishima? She's a friend, but I wouldn't say I'm as close to her as you are with your friends."

Adam shook his head and offered me a piece of shrimp, which I declined. "So do I not count? I'd say three years of interaction, online or not, makes us pretty close. Do you not agree?"

"I suppose. However, as it stands, I'm still a little unsure about how I feel speaking to you without monitors and oceans between us. I mean, it's wonderful, but it will take some getting used to."

He gave a nod and leaned back in his chair. It really puzzled me how he could stay so relaxed since I had expected him to be feeling the same way I did. "I can see how you'd feel that way, but if you ask me, that's just an excuse for us to hang out more."

I'm sure my face was just a little red from that comment, but I shook myself back to normal quickly. "I'm sorry, but I probably have too much going on to devote a lot of time to other people. Maybe in a few weeks." I don't know why I couldn't be honest with him; it would've been a lot easier just to say "Yes, let all of us get together every day" but it felt more natural to decline him.

"Are you sure? Maybe we could help! I just... I feel bad leaving you to deal with things on your own."

Before I realized it, my lunch box was empty. I set it aside, put my elbows on my desk, and rested my chin in my hands. "Why? You hardly actually know me."

"Ouch. That's cold, Gokou-san." Adam adjust his glasses and turned towards the window to his right. "Look, I know you well enough to know that you're strong. I'm sure you could deal with this all on your own. I mean yeah, pets die all the time. Grieve and move on. But I want to make sure it's as easy for you as possible. Why, you ask? Because I want to. Because I care. Makishima-san cares. Yatsu and Mihng care. Your two sisters care. That one guy you couldn't stop talking about over the summer cares. Say... did something happen with that? You used to come online every day with something to say about him, then just stopped."

A chill ran up my spine when he said that, and I felt the sudden urge to cry. Unfortunately, I was already in too deep, so my first reaction was to just keep digging the hole. "No, everything's fine. I just... didn't want to bother you with any more of that, is all."

When I looked up again, I noticed Adam writing on a small notepad. Once he was done, he ripped the paper off and set it in his lunch. "You weren't bothering me! I was really happy for you. The way you talked about him made him seem like such a great guy, and I was glad you had found someone like him."

Now I was forced to fake a small smile as if I was recalling happy memories. Anyone who actually knew what happened would have easily guessed that this topic only brought that dreadful night into my head.

"Yes. He's... great. I was sad that I had to transfer out of his school."

"Yeah, well–"

Suddenly, the bell started ringing. Cut off, Adam stood up, set his lunchbox on my desk, and moved the seat to its original position. "I'll see you later, Gokou-san."

Senpai walked off without his lunch, so I made a move to return it. Well, I was going to until I read what he had written on that paper.

"You didn't have that much to eat. I better have an empty box returned to me after school."

In his lunchbox there was still one rice ball and two pieces of fried shrimp. As guilty as it made me feel, I did eat everything before setting his box with my own and preparing for the rest of my classes.

Lunch was really the only thing out of the ordinary for that day. Once the bell had run and my things were gathered, I made my way out of the school building. I heard some chatter beside me getting louder, looked over, and saw Adam walking with two guys and another girl. I know he spotted me, but I quickened my pace to avoid another public encounter. The last thing I wanted was for people to start spreading rumors that we were dating, because these events were a mirror of what had went on when I started going to Kyousuke's school. However, there was one thing I forgot about that stopped me in my tracks.

"Good evening, Gokou-san!" The woman waved at me from beside the open gates. Truth be told, I was actually quite happy to see Mihng, since she knew my real problem.

Once I reached her, I gave a polite bow. "Good even, Fey-san."

Mihng crossed her arms and shook her head. "No, you call me Mihng. I don't care if you add 'san' to the end, but I'm your friend, and you'll address me as such."

Her reaction caught me off guard, but I couldn't exactly argue. Mihng had this kind of... commanding presence about her that made me feel compelled to do as she said. It wasn't in a forceful way, but more in a "this person deserves my respect" way.

"Very well, Mihng-san. How was your day?"

She gave me a bright smile. "It was lovely! How was school."

"The same as usual."

After a sigh, she turned her brows up a little. "I see, what about your–" She paused for a moment. When I looked at her, I saw she was looking past me, so I turned to see Adam waving off the three students he was talking to.

Mihng lowered her voice to a whisper. "How are the post breakup feels treating you?"

I closed my eyes as I turned back to her. "I feel slightly better, but still awful. Adam thinks it's my cats dying that has me feeling down as well. Please... please play along if he brings it up."

Her smile faded into a small frown as she brought her voice up to a normal tone. "I understand, but I hope you know I'm not happy with you doing that."

"Of course not. I apologize."

"Hey Mihng! Didn't expect to see you here."

I spun around saw that Adam had slipped up right next to me. Immediately, I began worrying that he might've overheard us. My thoughts were quickly interrupted by the other woman, though.

"Well I said I'd be here. At least I know I told Gokou-san."

He put his hands together with a wide grin. "Awesome! Since we're all here, we can walk home together."

As soon as I heard that, I tried to slip past Mihng and make my way towards my house. "Oh, that's not necessary. I'd much rather walk alone, honestly."

"Don't be silly!" Hearing them speak in unison like that was a bit jarring.

"Our place isn't too far from yours, and it's right this way, too. It works out." Adam and Mihng both started that sentence, but only Adam finished, which made hearing them speak together a little less strange.

They each got on one side of me and began to walk, but Mihng was a bit faster than Adam or myself. I suppose she was trying to keep me from feeling cramped. Looking at Adam felt odd, as well. I was very used to boys being much taller than me, but he was only about seven or eight centimeters above me.

Adam began shuffling around his schoolbag, brought his white, dog ear hat out, and slipped it on his head. Seeing that reminded me of something, and I immediately rummaged around my own things for his lunchbox.

"Here. Um... thank you for the food. It was very good."

He took the box and set it in his back before slinging the whole thing over his shoulder. "I'm just glad you ate it. You really didn't have a lot to eat when I went to see you."

"Aaaw, you went to visit Gokou-san at lunch? That was sweet of you." Mihng was holding her hands together against her cheek. Listening and looking at her was like dealing with a mother gushing over her child's first crush.

"Don't get any ideas, Mihng. I was trying to be nice and keep her from being alone."

All I could do was change my focus between the two of them during this exchange. Anything I said would probably backfire horrendously.

Mihng gave me a pat on the back with one eye closed. "He's been talking about you all the time. 'You think she's okay?' 'I wonder what Gokou-san's up to right now?' 'Maybe we should do something for her.' and stuff like that."

Adam jumped up and began waving his hands. "Hey, you don't have to tell her all that! Come on, give me a break."

Mihng started laughing while Adam groaned. I, however, let curiosity get the better of me and tugged his sleeve.

"Were you really saying those things?"

He paused for a moment before pointing forward. Once we began walking again, he actually answered me. "I guess I was. Gokou-san, I'm not sure if I've gotten this through to you yet, but face to face or through a pair of monitors, you've been a treasured friend for three years. I don't intend to treat you any differently from how I behaved online."

The man put a fist to his chest and wore a proud grin. "Even the darkest of souls need a little bit of light."

I closed my eyes and turned to face forward. Truth be told, Adam was entertaining me quite a bit. "I appreciate that, Shir–" catching myself, I put an effort into trying to change my speaking. "Adam. Thank you."

Our walk continued in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Adam let out a yawn and tapped my shoulder. "Say, do you think holding a little service might help?"

I just tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"For the cats. Like a funeral of sorts. Yeah, they're cats, but pets are part of the family too, you know."

Mihng gave a nod. "Something like that would be a great opportunity to let it all out and grieve. I can imagine you have to kind of act like nothing's wrong outside of home, don't you?"

"I suppose you're both right. I'll think about it."

"Oh, here we are." The man pointed to the house coming up on our right. It was slightly more embellished than the typical homes in this neighborhood, but it wasn't to the point where it stood out. It actually looked like a nicer version of my own home, save for the fact that the door was on the right side of the house rather than the left.

Before anyone could say anything, Mihng gave her friend a gentle shove towards the house. "Sweet! Go ahead inside, Adam, I'm gonna walk with Gokou-san some more!"

Immediately, I turned to her. "There's no need for that. Please, I assure you, I'm fine."

All she did was laugh, put an arm around me, and pull me close. "Girl talk and stuff, you know?"

Adam raised his brow, staring at us. "Are you sure?"

From the angle I was at, I couldn't see Mihng's eyes, but the way Adam stiffened up and his eyes widened told me she was doing something scary. "Go inside, Adam. _I will catch up, okay?_ " Her tone was beyond menacing.

"Yes ma'am! Bye now! See ya later, Gokou-san!" After that, Adam ran towards the door, opened it, and nearly threw himself in the building before closing the door behind him.

A hand was placed on my shoulder so firmly it made me jump. Mihng spoke to me in the same tone she had just spoken to Adam in. "You and I are going to have a nice chat, okay?"

All I could do was nod. "Yes, of course."

It took me a moment to realize she wanted me to start walking, but once I did, her gentle, kind voice came back and caused me to breathe out a sigh of relief.

"Why did you tell him that, Gokou-chan? Now it's going to be even more difficult to tell him the truth."

Being addressed so familiarly felt a bit off putting, but that's not what I was focused on. "Were you expecting me to tell Senpai about what actually happened?"

Mihng put a hand on her face and groaned. "Yes, actually. I can understand if you're a bit nervous about telling them right away, but there's only so much they can do if they don't know the whole story."

After crossing her arms, the older woman placed a finger on her chin. "Then again..."

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about some things." She gave me a shrug. "Anyway, the point is that they're your friends. At least, they want to be. Again, I realize it probably won't be easy to talk about a problem like this, but you know you're going to regret it if you don't. Not to mention the fact that friendships are built on trust, and what better way to build in then by opening up to someone?"

"I know, I know." I probably would have been kicking the ground were we not walking. It was a bad habit of mine. "It's worse since I know I've known the man for years, yet seeing him in person makes him feel like a stranger. I feel guilty since he's treating me like an old friend."

"Why is that? I mean, I know Adam's a very friendly guy, but why do you feel that way about him?"

To be honest, it was very difficult to explain, and just thinking about it made me groan. "I'm not exactly sure myself. I suppose the fact that I never thought I'd actually see him face to face is playing a part in this. Looking at him seems almost like a fantasy."

My new friend put her hand in her coat pocket, pulled out a small box of gum, and offered me a piece. After I declined, she tossed it in her own mouth. "I understand what you're saying, but you know this is real. I mean, he's going to school with you now. That's gotta hammer it in, right?"

"You raise a good point, I suppose."

Mihng nodded. "Back to the subject at hand, though. What about your situation makes it difficult to talk about to the guys?"

"I think the better question is 'why was it so easy for me to tell you?', because I know for a fact that this entire situation fills me with great shame and regret. Maybe I'm just too embarrassed to say anything about it."

She gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I understand. I just... I want you to promise me that you'll try to tell them at some point. You know I'll be there to help you, Gokou-chan."

Given what had happened earlier, I was just a bit too afraid to deny the promise. "Of course. Thank you." After a moment, I felt something cold hit my nose and looked up.

Mihng was holding her hand out, then immediately began shuffling around in the bag at her hip. "It's starting to rain. Gokou-chan, take this." She handed me an umbrella and pulled one out for herself. "Always carry two."

I opened it up just in time, as the rain had begun to fall more heavily as soon as I held the umbrella over my head. It didn't really matter much, though. My house was in sight, and Mihng stopped when she read the name on our plaque.

"Oh wow. This is a really nice house!"

Considering the person this was coming from, I had to wonder if she was just saying that. "Thank you." I made my way towards the door before handing the umbrella to Mihng.

She just held her hand up. "Keep it and just give it to Adam tomorrow. Oh, and be careful. It's supposed to get below freezing tonight, so watch where you step tomorrow."

I closed the umbrella and smiled a little. "I will. Thank you for telling me."

She smiled, hugged me, and turned around. "Have a good evening!"

The hug caught me off guard, so it took me a moment to realize she had said something. "Oh, you too."

The night was just like any other. I cooked for my sisters and myself, did some studying, ignored a call from Kyousuke, and went to sleep. Unlike yesterday, I actually woke up on time this morning and managed to make a proper lunch before school. Mihng was right; it was very cold and there were sheets of ice covering the roads and sidewalks. I was carefully watching my steps on the way to school, and suddenly I felt something tap the back of my head.

"Morning, Gokou-san." Adam brought his hand away from my head with a grin. "How are you feeling today?"

Because of my conversation with Mihng yesterday, I was finding it difficult to look him in the eye. "Good morning, Senpai. I'm fine."

We started walking again as he raised his brow. "You sure about that?"

"Positive."

He let out a quiet chuckle. "Mihng didn't give you any problems yesterday, did she? She's sweet, but can be really scary."

I just shook my head. "She just wanted to see me home safely."

"That's good." My senpai began scratching that hairy chin of his. "Say, I remember you telling me about that gaming research club you were a part of in your old school. Does this one have anything like that?"

"Unfortunately, no. I probably wouldn't join it, anyway. The only reasoned I joined the previous one is because someone gave me a push."

I heard another chuckle from Adam before a hand came down on my shoulder. "You say that like you don't have someone to push you now."

I looked up at him for a brief moment before my gaze turned back to the ground. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Immediately, I was reminded of my promise to Mihng. I had the perfect opportunity to explain my real situation to Adam now, but I found myself unable to speak. My mouth opened, but it was as if the words were being held in my throat by some invisible force. Somehow I managed to make a few noises, but could form no words. Eventually, I started quickening my pace to the point where I was forming a gap between Adam and myself.

"Gokou, wait! What's wrong?"

There was decent distance between the two of us now, but I was still speeding up. It got to the point where I was ready to run, but the ice had another plan.

"Gokou-san! Are you okay?"

Before I even realized what had happened, I opened my eyes to see Adam's face quite close to my own. I felt a bit of pressure against my back and realized he was holding me. Judging from the way my legs were bent, I couldn't have fallen down very far before I was caught.

When Adam saw my eyes open, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that. I thought you were going to fall and bust your head open."

He helped me straighten up, then handed me my bag. "...Thank you, Senpai."

The man smiled and put his hand on my head. "No need to thank me, alright? As soon as I saw you slip, I just darted forward without thinking. You're alright now, yeah?"

"Yes, I... thank you again."

Once I was on my feet and stable again, Adam and I resumed our walk. He kept his hand on my shoulder, probably to keep me from slipping again, until we were in front of the school gates. My friend took his hat off as we headed for the door. It was kind of cute, now that I was getting a closer look at it.

"You know, Gokou-san, if you really want to thank me, then you'll eat a decent lunch today, alright? I'll be there, so I'll know."

I paused and just stared at him as he turned to face me. After a moment of thought, I tried to smile at him and, at the very least, sound happy.

"I will. I promise."

"Good! Alright then, take care, Gokou-san."

All of a sudden something came over me. I already knew that I was looking forward to seeing him at lunch, but the dark spirits must have been acting upon me and speaking through me. To this day I can't explain why I said what I said.

"Grizzly-senpai!"

He stopped and turned to me. "Yeah?"

"I-If you're not at lunch... I'll place a curse on you! So be there."

I had expected him to laugh, mock me, or at least act like I was some child playing a game, but all he did was smile. When he spoke, I could hear a bit of joking in his voice, but there was also this serious air about him that told me he wasn't saying it in jest.

"It wouldn't do for a warrior of sunlight to become cursed. As if wanting to see you wasn't enough, now I have no choice." Adam turned around and waved to me. "Trust me, Gokou-san, I'll see you at lunch today."

Hearing him actually respond to my curse comment, as well as having confirmation that he didn't plan to leave me alone today brought a genuine smile to my face. For the first time since my transfer, I walked towards the school doors looking forward to the day ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

Black Cat, White Dog

Chapter 3: I Can't Go to Senpai's House

By: ScribblingBear

School seemed to fly by that day. Before I even realized I had gone through multiple classes, it was time for lunch. Unlike yesterday, a few of my classmates stayed in the room to eat today. Most of them didn't pay me any mind, so it didn't bother me. I was completely set up and ready to eat when I heard the banging of tables and chairs being moved around just before Adam sat down in front of me.

"Told you I'd be here."

He set his lunchbox on his desk and opened it. As soon as he did, the scent of freshly cooked beef and steamed vegetables filled the room and nearly made my mouth water. Looking down, I saw at least three thick slices of what looked like steak, steaming broccoli and corn, and a small mound of rice. How this stuff managed to smell like it had just come out of the kitchen was beyond me.

I certainly wasn't jealous, due to my own lunch of grilled chicken and sliced carrots. There wasn't nearly as much food on my end, but I was sure it was just as good.

Adam took a look at my lunchbox and nodded. "Much better. Looks good, Gokou-san."

After taking a bite of the chicken, I started nodding. "It is. Though nothing like yours. You must really like cooking, don't you?"

I must have caught him off guard, because he had a mouth full of food when I asked him the question. It took him a moment to swallow, and he smiled.

"Definitely. If I had never met Mihng and Yatsu, I'd probably be in Italy studying to be a chef."

I looked up at him after downing some carrot pieces. "Italy?"

Adam started chuckling. "It's a long story. Don't worry about it." The man shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth with a grin.

To be quite honest, watching him eat was forcing me to fight back giggles. It was a very comical sight, indeed. "Do you intend on having lunch with me every day?"

This boy continued to amaze me; there was no sign of that rice by the time I had finished speaking. "Indeed I do," he then leaned back in his chair and turned away from me, "no matter what people say."

I didn't even notice the two girls that had been watching us until I looked in the same direction as Adam. They fell silent as soon as he turned around, and their faces were bright red. He stared at them for a moment before waving and turning back to me.

"I'll be here every day. After all, if you'd curse me for missing today, wouldn't you curse me in the future as well?"

Hearing that brought a little smile to my face. "You are correct."

Before my mouth closed, it was flooded with the taste of delicious, perfectly cooked broccoli. Seeing Adam's hand so close to my mouth made me rather red, but the food I was being fed was almost godly.

"So? What do you think?"

Once I had gulped it down, my smile grew. "I would feed this to the great denizens of the black abyss themselves. This is just broccoli, how did you make it so tasty?"

My friend started chuckling, winking at me as he took a piece himself. "That's a secret."

I just rolled my eyes. After a moment of silence, I realized that this was a great opportunity to tell Adam the truth. Unfortunately, just like the previous times, I found myself incapable of doing so. Instead, I opted for a question.

"Senpai, why are you trying so hard? For me, I mean."

Adam just looked at me for a few long moments, then turned his gaze to the window. "Why, huh? Gokou-san, I've said it before: I care about you. We've been friends for three years, and while it may feel different to you, to me you're still the same person who gushes about Maschera, is afraid of heights, and loves sushi even though it gives her stomachaches. Regardless of whether or not there are computers between us, you'll always be one of the best friends I've ever had. That's why I try so hard. I want you to be happy."

Were it not for the fact that my mouth was full, my jaw would have dropped. Yes, he had said these things before, but something about actually hearing it now just made it feel so different. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I felt warmer.

"I see. That... that means a lot to me. Thank you."

"I've told you already that there's no need to thank me. It's natural for me to care."

I couldn't help but stare at him. Even through his glasses, I could see a softness in his eyes that put my mind and heart at ease. For a brief moment, I completely forgot about Kyousuke and Kirino. Then Adam spoke again.

"Say, Gokou-san, how would like to come to our place tomorrow? It's the weekend, so we don't have school. Weird how we go for two days and then get another weekend."

The carrot in between my lips nearly fell out. "Tomorrow? At your house?"

After wolfing down his last piece of steak, Adam smiled. "Yeah! Saori-chan's gonna be there, too. Obviously my two nerds will be there, but Mihng does have errands to run that day. So? You think you'll be joining us?"

His proposal left me frozen in place. As nice as it would've been to visit my friends over the weekend, it would also have been incredibly awkward. Not only that, but Mihng would probably find some way to get me to tell the boys about the real source of my pain. It didn't really matter much, though. Looking at Adam's happy smile was making harder and harder to decline with each passing moment.

After taking a look at his near empty lunchbox, I let out a sigh. "I suppose the rest of that broccoli could persuade me to come."

Immediately, Adam set the three remaining vegetable stalks in my lunch box. "I will _make_ you this meal if you come over."

"Then I will be seeing you tomorrow. Do you have a specific time you'd like me to arrive?"

"Does noon work for you?"

"It most certainly does."

"Great!" Adam stood up, taking his lunch box with him. "Sadly, I have some things to take care of, so I won't be able to walk home with you this evening."

Of course I wasn't going to let him know I was a little disappointed, but I was. "I see. Well, do what you must. You know I'm fine on my own."

"I know you are." He turned and headed towards the door. "See you tomorrow!"

"Farewell.". Once he was gone, I looked down at my desk and was instantly reminded of the broccoli waiting for me. I poked a piece in my mouth just as the bell rang to end lunch.

The rest of my classes flew by as well. As expected, my walk home was a tad bit lonely. Moments like these always made me think of Kyousuke, so I decided to try and send a text message to Mihng. I ended up telling her that I was too nervous to tell Adam the truth. I was expecting some kind of crazy response, but got nothing even after I had gotten home.

It was only after dinner had been cooked and eaten and my sisters put to bed that my phone began to ring. Luckily it was right by my bed.

"Hello?"

There was no need for an introduction from this person. "I never said you had to tell him right away. Look, Gokou-chan, just tell him when you're ready. Adam told us you were coming over tomorrow, so we can talk about it then, okay?"

"I'd rather not speak of it at all, but something tells me you'll hound me for eternity."

"Oh, I will. Plus, you have to see the sheer magnitude of otaku... ness... whatever, that is our house." I heard her giggle after she said that.

"Is that so?"

Even though I couldn't see her, I could just _feel_ the nod she probably did. "We have a massive gaming setup, multiple shelves of manga and anime DVDs, figurines and toys everywhere, it's amazing and beautiful."

I found myself unable to keep from smiling while Mihng went on and on about her house. "Oh, what were those errands you had to run, if I may ask?"

"That? Oh, I need to personally deliver a few albums to some people, then pick up groceries. Luckily, all the delivery addresses are on the way to the store."

I tilted my head despite Mihng not actually being here. "You do personal deliveries?"

"Mhm! I just find it a nice little thing to do for fans now and again. Anyway, I need to get going now, okay? Goodnight, Gokou-chan!"

"Right. Goodnight." I hung up and set my phone down.

As things were right now, the idea of getting sleep was almost laughable. I was excited about tomorrow afternoon, but also a little anxious. This, coupled with the small, but ever present memories of my ex-boyfriend in the back of my head, made for a mental cocktail of sleeplessness. Tossing and turning didn't help, but sleep was always a strange thing. I woke up before I even realized I had fallen asleep. After shaking myself a little, I was coherent enough to climb out of bed and drag myself to the kitchen.

Tamaki and Hinata were sitting in front of the T.V., but immediately turned to me when they heard me coming. Hinata was the first to stand and make her way to me.

"Good morning, Ruri!" My sister wrapped her little arms around me with a smile.

I gave her a soft pat on the head. "Good morning, Hinata. Are you hungry?"

"Mhm, yeah! Can we have scrambled eggs today?"

My little sisters always made me happy. I couldn't help but smile when looking at the excitement on her face.

"Of course! I'll start cooking, go play with Tamaki until it's ready."

"Okay!" The small girl ran off into the living room again, allowing me to start up the stove and get ready to cook.

"Hey."

I was stirring eggs in a frying pan and frying rice when I heard the voice behind me. "Good morning, Tamaki."

The girl walked up beside me and tapped my shoulder. "Who were you talking to last night?"

"Oh, you heard me? Just a friend. I was invited to her house today, so she wanted to talk to me about it."

Tamaki leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. I knew her well enough to know that whatever she was about to say would be a _joy_ to answer.

"You get another boyfriend yet?"

Despite having expected a difficult or awkward question, hearing _that_ still made me jump.

"What? No! Why would you even ask that?"

"Because I want to know. You're going to someone's house, you're talking to people again, and you're not gloomy and mopey like you were a few days ago. You got over the first guy and found another one, right?"

"No! I probably won't ever find another boyfriend, even if I wanted to."

My sister pursed her lips. "Aw, why not? Are you still hung up on Kousaka-san?"

"Tamaki, please stop. I don't want to think about him right now." After a bit more work, I deemed the food ready and began to fill the three plates I had set out. "Hinata, breakfast is ready!"

"Okay!" After a moment, the smaller girl walked into the kitchen and inhaled deeply. "Ooh, it smells so yummy!"

I had to give Tamaki a pointed look before she'd go back in the living room to sit. Once both girls were sitting I set their food in front of them. We all folded our hands, said our thank yous, and began to eat. Like usual, the older of my two sisters was the first to comment, mainly because she was the first to actually scarf something down.

"Wow, sis! How do you always manage to make even the plainest stuff so good?"

I couldn't help but smile when I saw the two girls so happy. "It's just a talent, I suppose."

After breakfast I washed the dishes and decided to clean up around the house for a bit. When that was done, I had to get a bath ready for the girls, take one myself, and get ready for my visit with the others. I was actually put much more at ease by a phone call from my mother after I finished my bath. Both of my parents worked so hard for us, but she told me was coming home early, so I didn't have to leave Tamaki and Hinata in the house all day. Sometimes I wondered if they knew just how much I worried about them every day, even when they were at school.

Before I knew it, there were only ten minutes left before noon, so I said my goodbyes to my sisters and left. The walk to the trio's house didn't take as long as I expected it to, but the thoughts racing through my head probably distracted me from what was going on around me. As I got closer to their door, I could hear shouts getting louder and louder. I rang the doorbell, heard someone shout "Coming!", and was greeted by Yatsuhashi at the door.

"Oh, hey, Gokou-chan! Long time, no see. Sorry I haven't come to see ya; I've been a little busy."

Despite being a little creeped out by his choice of honorifics, I still smiled. It seemed he was worried about upsetting me by not being around, at least.

"That's quite alright, Tiro-san."

The tall young man moved aside and held his arm out towards the interior of the house. "Please, please come in. Saori-chan's already here."

He didn't even need to tell me, as I was now able to hear two voices shouting. One was definitely Makishima, and the other, I'm sure, was Adam.

Once I walked into the living room, my eyes widened. All kinds of anime and gaming posters covered the walls, a massive computer with three monitors sat near the back wall, three big couches sat before a huge television set that had all the latest gaming consoles hooked up to it, and there was a very fancy looking table between the two. It looked like mahogany. Very expensive.

Each corner of the room had shelves loaded with toys and figurines on them as well. Even Makishima's main space looked like a "casual's" room compared to this. "Casual" is the correct term, yes? Of course, the room was made complete by my two friends shouting at a game I didn't recognize.

When Yatsuhashi came in behind me, he let out a whistle. "Our special guest is here!"

Immediately, the controller was dropped, the dog hat came off, and both of my friends greeted me with warm smiles. Adam was the first to say something, though.

"Hey there! Glad you could make it, Gokou-san!"

I gave him a courteous bow. "It would be rude to deny a friend's invitation, even if he is just a human."

Just as he has before, Adam went right along with me, grinning as he spoke. "Careful who you call 'human'. Sun consorts see it as an insult."

All I could do was grin while Yatsuhashi gave Saori a very confused look. As expected, she just laughed it off.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Miss Kuroneko."

We bowed to each other before I looked at the screen. "Is this what the yelling I heard was about?"

Adam chuckled. "I let Saori-san try playing this game. It is _very_ difficult. I mean, this is from the same people that made a 'Prepare to Die Edition' for one of their games. Saori was fighting the DLC of this game's final boss. Orphan of Kos is brutal. She's already died three times."

"I see." While hesitant, I picked up the controller and sat down on the couch between the two of them. "May I try?"

All three of them said the same thing at the exact same time. It was actually slightly creepy.

"Go for it!"

They weren't exaggerating when they spoke of the difficulty. I took a moment to get used to the controls, but soon learned that this game was about reading enemies and out predicting AI. I was jumping and rolling all around, chipping away at the boss's health. I died once, then two more times in fights where I reached its second form. However, the fourth try was a success, and everyone cheered when the boss died.

Adam even put his arms around me, causing my face to grow hot. "Wow, Gokou-san, that was incredible!"

"It was nothing, really. Simple games like these are nothing to a being such as I."

I was talking big, but the hug I was receiving currently had my full attention. On one hand, I felt I was starting to visibly blush. On the other hand, I didn't want to be rude and ask him to get off me. Luckily, I was saved by a beeping coming through a doorway to my left.

"Whoops, that's the food. I'll be back in a second!" Adam hopped up off the couch, ran towards the door, and slid into it. It reminded me of when I used to slide on hard floors in my socks when I was young.

Almost immediately after he left, the front door swung open, and Mihng walked in with a bag full of groceries. "Hey there, everyone!" She then paused, looked at me, and her smile grew. "Gokou-chan! Saori-chan! You made it!"

Before I could even respond, Mihng put her arms around Makishima and myself. "It's so good to see you both!"

"Hello to you as well, Mihng." I wanted to say more, but Yatsuhashi cut me off.

"How'd those deliveries go, babe?"

After her hand was firmly planted against her face and dragged down, Mihng groaned. "Will you _stop_ calling me that?"

He started laughing. "Sorry, sorry. But seriously, did everything go well?"

Mihng nodded, vaulted over the sofa, and landed down beside Saori without a sound. "It went very well. Dude, meeting fans is so much fun! We're still a small band, but I met this one girl that was practically jumping up and down when I came to the door. I even signed the album for her."

Saori began poking the other girl's cheek. "What's the name of the band? You never told us."

Yatsuhashi snapped to get our attention. "Mach 3. We all knew we wanted to include the number three in the name, and when it came up, we all just kind of did the silent nod." The man started grinning and leaned on Mihng's shoulder. "Now then, what's this about a girl? Was she cute?"

"Oh, she was cute." Soon after Mihng spoke, Yatsuhashi found himself on the ground with a red mark in the center of his face. "Oh, but her _boyfriend_ was even more good looking." After that, Mihng let out a purr. I had weird friends.

The blonde boy looked up at her with a raised brow. "Wait, but I thought you..."

He never finished his thought, but after realizing that Mihng had had her arm around Saori since she hopped onto the couch, he didn't need to. I knew exactly what he was going to say.

I cleared my throat in the hopes of easing the currently awkward mood. "So... is there an occasion that brings Saori and me here?"

"Indeed there is!" We all turned to the doorway that Adam had gone into, only to see him standing there with an apron on. "Lunch is ready!"

My eyes widened as I stared at him. "Did you really bring us here just to make us lunch?"

He just shrugged. "Not just lunch, no, but that's part of it." My friend then beckoned us all to follow him. We were led into a much bigger kitchen than my own. While most of the walls remained white and devoid of anything that could pass as "otaku", there were a few small figmas on the sink and counters, and all the coffee mugs on a little rack next to the door featured anime characters on them.

Immediately, I was drawn to the strong scent of meat, cheese, and vegetables. When I turned towards the aroma, I saw the large, mouth watering pizza sitting on the little island in the center of the room. There were also various cheeses and spices on the counter closest to their table.

Adam struck a pose, positioning himself low to the ground with his arms out towards the pizza. "Ta-da! A supreme meat n' veggie pizza better than any you'll find in a store. These used to be a staple back home."

Before anyone could say anything, Mihng jumped in front of us and squealed. "Oh my glob, you made your pizza! It's so good!"

I couldn't help but nod. "It does look quite tasty. The fact that you went through all this effort for us is very flattering."

While the glare from his glasses hid part of his face, it wasn't enough to completely conceal the red becoming more and more visible. It was... kind of cute.

"Aw, stop. Only the best for my great friends." He paused for a moment before a smarmy grin grew on his face. "And Yatsu."

All of us, including the butt of the joke himself, started laughing a little.

"Hey, come on man! Why you gotta do me like that?"

I heard a little giggle from Makishima as she nudged the young man. "With speech like that, I'd never believe you were Japanese."

He just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, it's time to eat!"

Their table seated eight, so there was plenty of room for all of us once we sat down Adam and I were on one side, Mihng and Saori on the other, and Yatsuhashi sat at the edge. We all said our "thank you"s, dug in, and immediately began showering Adam with praise for his cooking. Even I was a little excited.

Eventually, I tugged on his shirt to get his attention off all the blush inducing words. "I love to cook, and take great pride in my food. Adam, this puts anything I could ever make to shame."

His eyes widened and he began waving his hands in front of him. "What? No, no, no! You're cooking's great, Gokou-san! Don't put yourself down like that."

Saori gave him a thumbs up. "Complimenting her even as she's praising you? My, what a gentleman."

Everyone who didn't have food in their mouths started laughing. I had begun to eat to distract myself, though. The rest of lunch went similarly, with everyone taking turns joking about my friendship with Adam. While embarrassing, it also brought back memories of the Kousaka siblings. These ones, however, were much... nicer. For the first time in a long time, I was recalling good times I had with the two of them. Saori being here helped, too.

Finally, the meal was finished. Mihng stood up, pointed at everybody one at a time, and cleared her throat. "Okay, get out now. It's cleaning time, so back to the other room."

The boys _immediately_ got up and left, Makishima made her way out after the other woman shot her a glare, but I remained seated.

"I'm helping." I don't think I could have said that more flatly if I had tried.

"Excuse me?"

"I said," I stood up, pushed my seat in, and grabbed some of the dishes, "I'm helping."

My friend stood there, staring me in the eye, before smiling. "I can already tell I can't stop you. Come on, then, let's get started."

They actually had a sink that was big enough for both of us to work in. Most of our dish washing was in silence, but eventually, Mihng decided to break it.

"Gokou-chan, why are you afraid to tell him?"

Being asked that made me freeze despite the plate in my hand. "...Because it's my fault. That man chose his sister over me because I let him. Because I had to move, I felt leaving him would be less painful. He had already made his choice when I realized I was wrong and asked for him back."

The woman let out a sigh. "I can understand now. To be honest, I wouldn't blame this guy for being upset but... still. With his sister? That's just wrong."

I was speaking through gritted teeth now. "We all knew. It was clear that they both had feelings for each other, but I... but I..."

Tears welled up in my eyes before I could finish my thought. "I should have never let him go."

"Oh, Gokou."

I soon felt the warmth of an embrace and gave in, shoving my face into Mihng's shoulder. Luckily, I never made much noise when I cried. At least a few minutes must have passed before I felt I was done letting go. I finally nudged away from Mihng, dried my eyes, and set the last plate on the drying rack.

"Are my eyes red?"

Mihng put her hand on my head and smiled. "A little. Still cute, though."

Her compliment managed to make me smile, but not for long.

"You certainly _are_ a charmer, aren't you?" That sweet, feminine voice from the other room was unmistakable.

The minute Mihng heard Saori, she bolted towards the living room. Following close behind, I was greeted by the image of Saori's hand softly sandwiched between both of Yatsuhashi's. Despite the nervous grin on his face, I could imagine his expression as he was wooing Mihng's crush.

Immediately, the man let go of my friend's hand and held his own out. "Hang on, Mihng, it's not what you think!"

Without a word, Mihng pulled him off the couch and began dragging him away. "Adam, go ahead and start without us."

Adam, whom I just noticed sitting on the couch, waved to them. "Don't kill him!"

There was plenty of space between Saori and Adam, so I took a seat and looked to him. "What did she mean by 'start without them'?"

With a grin, Saori picked up a couple of boxes off the table. Some of them were games, others were movies. "This was Miss Lo Fey's idea. She proposed that we all hang out for the day again."

"Oh, I see. I don't think I know any of these titles, though." I did recognize one of the movies, but watching a romance would be... awkward, at best.

Adam raised his brow. "Do any of them look interesting to you?"

Truth be told, the games and movies themselves didn't really catch my eye, but I was just the slightest bit eager to spend more time with these friends, so I reached out and grabbed a multiplayer platformer. As far as I knew, those were always good for laughs.

As soon as Adam saw me pick it, he grinned. "This oughtta be good. Is that what you want to play?"

I simply nodded. "Yes, it looks fun."

Adam nodded, got everything set up, and grabbed controllers for the three of us. When we first began playing, we were quiet and breezed through the levels with ease. However, as things got more difficult, we were more vocal. By the time we were at the final stages, we were laughing and groaning and half shouting.

"You sure look like you're having fun."

We all spun around to see Mihng and Yatsuhashi leaning against a wall behind us. "I'm surprised you didn't drive each other nuts by throwing each other in lava."

I heard a chuckle from Adam. "You're the only one who plays like that, Yatsu."

Yatshhashi took a seat beside Saori, and Mihng sat next to Adam. The woman smiled, pushing him against me.

"Are you gonna try and beat it?"

"Uh... yeah, I guess."

Despite my efforts to move away, Makishima refused to scoot, resulting in me being pressed up against Adam, both of our faces turning red, and everyone else giggling and laughing.

"We teasing too much? Come on, you two are cute." Mihng grinned at the two of us. This must have been their plan all along.

Saori reached over me and pat Adam's head. "I have to agree. You're already so close, I'd believe you two were a couple."

I began grumbling, but Adam stood up. He sat on Mihng and leaned back, forcing her against the couch and making her flail her arms.

"I am the squish!"

Adam crossed his arms and leaned forward to let her breathe. "Don't do that. Couldn't you see how uncomfortable you made Gokou-san just now? Not cool."

The two girls began apologizing, but Yatsuhashi leaned behind Saori and whispered to me. "Adam's a guy that will always have your back, ya know?"

With a nod and a smile, I turned to the man currently squishing Mihng. "Yes. I'm very grateful for a friend like him."

"Good. Hold on to him, Gokou-chan. People like Adam are rarer than you think."

As he drew back, Yatsuhashi tugged Saori's arm to grab her attention. That got her to scoot over so I could make room for Adam again. Once he noticed there was space, he sat back down and put his hand on my head.

"Don't worry, Gokou-san. They won't be pulling stunts like this again."

When I looked past Adam, I saw Mihng bowing to me. "Forgive me, Gokou-chan. I thought it was all in good fun, but I didn't think my teasing would actually bother you."

"It... it's fine. Thank you for apologizing."

Adam opened his mouth, but a clap to my left got everyone's attention first. Saori was holding up the movies with a big smile on her face.

"Now that that's settled, why not relax and have some fun?"

Everyone shared her attitude, so the game got replaced with one of the movies. Then another. By the time we were at the third movie, I was so sucked in that I didn't even realize that I was leaning on Adam. Eventually, he gave me a nudge and pointed to my left.

Saori was in a similar position to me, though the look on her face told me she knew full well that her head was on Yatsuhashi's shoulder. We both had to bite our lips to keep from laughing. Adam gave me another nudge before leaning his head to the side. It took me a moment, but I did actually return my head to where it was.

Three movies and around six and a half hours later, we all agreed that it was time for us to wrap it up. Saori and I helped the others tidy up a bit before saying our goodbyes. Saori hugged all of us, bowed, and went out the door, but I stood at the door with far too many thoughts racing through my mind.

"Gokou-san?" Adam tapped my shoulder. "Are you feeling alright?"

It took a few moments for me to decide whether or not I was, and I also made another decision. "I'm fine, but I have a request for you all."

The three of them tilted their heads when I turned to face them. "From this day on, I give you all a special privilege. I would like you to address me by first name. Call me Ruri."

All three of them smiled. Adam put his hand on my head again, a touch that, for some reason, felt very warm. "You got it, Ruri."


	4. Chapter 4

Black Cat, White Dog

Chapter 4: I Can't Go On a Date With Senpai

By: ScribblingBear

Immediately after his hand left my head, Adam pulled me into a hug. Soon after, Yatsu and Mihng joined in for a big group hug. The whole thing left me flustered, but I was smiling.

"Thank you all for treating a stranger with such kindness."

After letting me go, the blonde man crossed his arms. "You've been a friend of Adam's for years. As far as we're concerned, you're our friend, too."

I couldn't help but bow. "Again, thank you!"

Mihng smiled and nudged me a little. "I want you to know that you can rely on us. _All of us_." The emphasis she put on that last bit told me exactly what she meant. "Say, do you mind if I walk home with you again? I'd like to talk to you."

"Yes, of course."

She smiled and waved to the guys before walking out with me. Despite the fact that I had started walking, she didn't move after closing the door.

"Do you like him?"

I stopped about halfway between the door and the gate, but I couldn't face her. "I hold him in very high regard. He's a precious friend to me."

"A precious friend, huh? Are you sure you don't think of him as anything more?"

Letting out a sigh, I turned around. "Even if I did, I'm most definitely not ready for that kind of relationship again."

Mihng approached me and put her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, I was just asking. Just... treasure him. Adam is a certain brand of kind that's not easy to come by. Even more than Yatsu or me, rely on him, Ruri."

Even though I had turned to face her, I kept my gaze to the ground. I just couldn't make eye contact no matter how hard I tried.

"I'll tell him tomorrow. Could you, maybe, ask him to meet me tomorrow? In the big pavilion at the center of town?"

She gave me a nod. "He'll be there. Yatsu and I will tag along from a distance to support you."

"You don't have to do that."

Mihng just grinned. "But I want to." She reached out and took my hand, tugging me towards the gate. "Come on now, I did say I'd walk home with you."

Her grabbing my hand brought another question I'd been meaning to ask to mind. Unfortunately, due to the nature of said question, it took me until we were halfway between Mihng's house and my own to actually figure out how I wanted to word it.

"Mihng, may I ask you something about earlier today?"

The other woman slowed down and let go of my hand so I could walk up beside her. "Of course. What is it?"

I swallowed a lump in my throat and tried to just let the words out. "Are you, um... you know, uh... The way you behave and something Yatsuhashi said made me think that..."

All it took was a small giggle from her to silence me. "Well, yes and no. I'm bisexual. I'm attracted to men and women, and I have to say, Saori-chan's a real hottie."

She winked at me, and I couldn't help but turn away in embarrassment. "Is that why you got angry with Yatsuhashi so often today?"

Mihng crossed her arms. "No, actually. I can tell that Saori's not into women, but Yatsu can be a... player at times. He's got a history of trying to charm any cute girl he sees, and I hate seeing a man play with a woman's heart like that."

"So... what did you do to him when you dragged him away after our... talk?"

She clapped her hands together and stopped walking. "Oh, that? Well, see, I had intended on punching him and telling him to knock it off, but you know how I said he can be a player 'at times'? Yatsu pleaded with me to hear him out, and so I did. Most of our time away from you, Saori, and Adam was spent by him telling me how he genuinely liked Saori-chan. There was more, but a girl's gotta keep some secrets."

Immediately, I crossed my arms, turned back to her, and huffed. "You're one to talk about a girl keeping secrets, Miss 'Harp on Ruri About Telling Adam Her Secret'. Does Tiro already know?"

The woman bit her lip and looked to the side. "He kind of does. He already knows you're upset because of a breakup. I mean, when he told me about it, he said straight up it was just a guess, but I told him he was right. I didn't tell him any more than that, though. I'm sorry, Ruri-chan, but saying he was wrong would've been a lie."

I just shook my head. "No, no, I understand. I'm just afraid of other people knowing the situation."

"Ruri, you're back! Did you have a good time?"

Hearing my mother greet me when arrive home was such a rarity that it easily caught me off guard. Both Mihng and I bowed courteously to her with smiles.

"I did, mother, thank you. Have Tamaki and Hinata behaved themselves?"

My mother grinned and opened the gate for me. "Of course they have. They're good girls, just like their big sister. And who's this?" Her gaze turned to Mihng as the woman followed me in. "Is she one of the friends you were hanging out with?"

Before I could answer her myself, Mihng bowed again and introduced herself. "Yes ma'am, I'm one of Ruri's friends. My name is Mihng Lo Fey and it's a pleasure to meet you."

My mom put a hand on her chin and giggled softly. "My, my, how polite! Well, it's nice to meet you too, Miss Lo Fey. Thank you for looking after little Ruri for me."

Mihn held up her hands and waved them from side to side. "Oh no, the pleasure's all mine. She's a sweet girl and a joy to be around." She then leaned forward and whispered something into my mother's ear. After seeing the expressions on their faces, I deemed it to be something that I didn't want to stick around for.

"Well, thank you Mihng. I'm going to take a bath now, have a good evening!" With that, I quickly made my way towards the house.

"One o'clock, Ruri-chan! He'll be there."

After pausing and turning around, I bowed to my friend. "Thank you so much. I... I won't let you down."

The smile she gave me was as bright as the morning sun. "I'm sure you won't. I'll see you then."

We both waved to each other before I walked into my house. It wasn't long before I was assaulted by two hug goblins laughing and greeting me happily.

"Welcome home, sis!" They rarely ever spoke in unison, so hearing that felt a little odd.

"Good evening. Did you two have fun with Mom today?"

Hinata began nodding. "Yeah! We all went to the park for a picnic! It was nice seeing momma for a change."

I smiled and pat the girl's head. "A picnic? I'll be sure not to miss the next one."

The door opened and my mother walked in, creating a chain of head pats. Being so close to her warmed my heart like a fireplace in deep winter.

"So you're going out again, Ruri?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Awesome!" Tamaki gave me a thumbs up. "I thought you would never want to go out again after... you know."

I let out a sigh and stood up. "I have my new friends to thank for that. But for right now, I really want to take a bath and relax."

Mom patted my back. "I understand. Come on, girls, let's work on dinner together."

Both of my sisters hopped up excitedly and went to the kitchen with our mother. I was eager for a little time to myself, so I was quick to draw a bath, get everything ready, and slide in.

The warm water always helped melt away worries, but I still had a lot to think about. _"How am I going to do this?"_ I sighed and slipped down a little deeper into the water. _"How's Adam going to react? I'm afraid... maybe I could just tell Mihng I can't make it?"_

I shook my head at the thought of running away. _"No... I need to do this."_ I wasn't going to get anywhere worrying about tomorrow.

Instead of trying to figure out how I would handle the day to come, I let the hot water around me carry my body and mind off somewhere that nothing mattered. I moved my arms a little to create sound to listen to as well, which helped me ease a little tension.

Dinner that night was made wonderful simply by the presence of both my parents. I learned that my mother would have tomorrow completely off, which helped put me at ease. My sisters were two less things I had to worry about tomorrow, and I needed all I could get.

Getting to sleep was a bit of a chore. The relaxing effect the bath had given me had faded completely, leaving me tense and with far too many thoughts racing through my mind. I must have been lying in bed for hours before I nodded off, which probably contributed to me waking up much later than I usually did.

Most days I woke up early enough to make breakfast, but this morning I walked into the living room only to be greeted by my mother and sisters, along with a full plate at an empty spot, already sitting down to eat.

"Good morning, everyone."

Everyone smiled and waved at me as I took my seat. "Good morning, sweetheart. I take it you slept well?"

I gave her a nod and bit a piece off of the slice of toast on my plate. "I suppose that could be true, depending on your idea of 'slept well'."

"Yeah, you were mumbling in your sleep when Hinata and I went to check on you." Despite having a mouth full of food, I still got the gist of what Tamaki said.

"I was? Oh joy, what did I say?"

Before the older sister could answer, Hinata shoved her head between Tamaki and me to cut her off. "You were too quiet for us to hear! We saw your mouth moving but only heard whispers."

I let out a sigh when the girl sat down. "Alright, then."

A portion of breakfast continued in awkward silence. The four of us would glance at each other from time to time, but never said anything until my mother decided to speak up.

"So, where are you headed to today, Ruri?"

I set my spoon down. "Just to the center of town. I'm supposed to meet a friend. There's something... important I need to speak with him about."

"Ooh!" Tamaki sprang up with a grin. "Finally decided to get back in the dating game?"

"Tamaki! Honestly! This is not a date, I just have some things to tell him."

She sat back down and puffed out her cheeks. "Fine. Geeze."

Mom put her hand on my sister's head. "I believe your friend said one, correct? That leaves you a little over two hours."

My eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

Looking at the clock showed that it was a few minutes past ten o'clock. I really did sleep in. "Oh, that's no problem. The walk may take me fifteen to twenty minutes, probably."

She gave a nod while setting her utensils on an empty plate. "I see. If that's the case, then would you mind helping me with the dishes?"

"No, not at all!"

Once breakfast was finished, my mother and I proceeded into the kitchen to clean. Despite the silence, it was a complete and utter joy to be doing something with her. Not only that, but knowing my sisters were getting a chance to spend some time with her warmed my heart as well.

I got dressed and spent the remainder of my time home watching television with Tamaki and Hinata. Mom joined in for a few minutes as well, but had to leave the room in preparation to take the girls to the zoo. I forgot this town even had a zoo.

Finally, twelve-thirty came around and I waved goodbye to everyone for the day. As expected, the walk to town square took about twenty minutes, but I saw Adam sitting on a bench under the pavilion with a cup of coffee in his hand.

I waved to him with a small smile on my face. "Hello, Adam. You're here ealy, have you been waiting long?"

He shook his head and offered me a second coffee, which I gratefully accepted. "Not that long. I got here maybe two minutes ago."

I sat down beside him and sipped at the drink. I never was much of a coffee person, but it was alright with enough sugar. "I see."

Adam rubbed the back of his neck, flicking at his short ponytail. "I'm a little shocked though, Ruri. I know asking me in person would've been awkward, but you didn't need to get Mihng to ask me out for you."

My eyes widened and I blinked. "Ask you... out?"

We stared at each other for a moment before he grimaced. "Don't tell me..."

We both jumped up and spoke in unison. "She set us up!"

After a moment, Adam's cheeks puffed out and he could no longer hold back his laughter. I was soon to follow, giggling a little as we sat back down."

My friend took a sip of his coffee and looked up to the clear, blue sky. "So, if this isn't a date, what was it you wanted to meet me for?"

I bit my lip and clutched my dress. To stall for time, I began sipping my coffee while averting my gaze. It was now or never, and as the tip of the cup left my lips, I steeled myself in preparation for whatever would come next.

"Adam, I've not been entirely honest with you. I don't own any cats. What's been tearing me up inside is being dumped by a man I loved. The two of us dated all summer, but I left him because of my move. However, _he_ came back for me, but only to tell me that he had another girl he loved. I broke his heart... and he broke mine."

Adam's eyes widened for a moment, but then his gaze softened. "Ruri..."

Now that I had let that out, I could no longer stop myself from spewing other thoughts I had been suppressing.

"I mean, I'm not surprised. This other girl is prettier and funnier than I could ever be. She knows that man better than I ever could, and I bet he just went along with me to keep me from being upset."

The hand coming down on my shoulder instantly silenced me. I was scared. Adam's head was lowered in such a way that the brim of his dog hat was covering his eyes.

"Stop. Stop right now."

Tears began to well up in my eyes. "Are you upset?"

"I am. But not because of what you did to that guy. I'm upset because you felt the need to lie to me."

As tears began to fall, Adam placed his hand on my face and wiped them away. "Adam..."

"I'm upset because a beautiful, wonderful girl is comparing herself to someone else instead of realizing how great she is. I'm upset because you did what you believed was right and ended up having your heart broken because of it."

At this point, I was crying just as severely as I had been with Mihng yesterday. In my current state I could do nothing to stop myself when my hands hooked around each other against the man's back.

Slowly and softly, Adam brought his arms around me too, leaving me to shove my face into his coat and probably soak it at this point.

"How can you say that? What I did was awful."

A quiet chuckle preceded his response. "How many times do I have to say it, Ruri? You're my friend. I care about you from the bottom of my heart and nothing you can say or do will ever change that."

I softly began beating my balled hands against his back. "You idiot. How can you be so good to me?"

One of his arms moved, and I felt his hand rest on my head. "It's just how I am, I guess. Hey, have you eaten anything lately?"

After a sniffle, I slipped away from him. "Not in a few hours, why?"

"Why don't I take you somewhere? It might help you calm down."

"I would," I paused and wiped my eyes, "I would like that."

"Great." Adam stood up, helped me up, and tossed our now cold coffees into the trash. "Do you have anywhere in particular you want to go?"

"No, not really?"

He grinned. "Mind if I show you a nice place?"

"By all means."

Adam motioned towards the other side of the pavilion. Once I was ready, we both began walking. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw some kind of glint, but when I turned, it was gone.

I was taken to a small cafe a ways away from town square. The entire building was cozy, inviting, and was filled with the aroma of tea and various baked goods. As soon as we walked in, a red-haired, buxom woman dressed in surprisingly casual clothes, aside from the cat ear headband she was wearing, greeted us with a bow.

"Meow! My name is Kanae! How may I help you today?"

Adam nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Whoops, I _completely_ forgot that Sunday was cat day. Can I get a booth for two please?"

"Of course! Please follow me."

As we were led to seats, I couldn't help but think that Adam's knowledge of this place was given by Yatsuhashi. Before we were seated, I heard a similar booth for two request from behind us. This place must've been very popular.

Menus were set before us once we sat down, and the waitress smiled at us. "Meow! Shall we start with something to drink?"

My friend didn't even look at the menu before speaking. "I'll take a house blend tea, please."

The waitress began scribbling on a notepad. "Certainly! And you, miss?"

After looking through all of the options, I was unable to make a decision. "I suppose I'll have the same."

She winked at us. "Coming right up!"

The waitress spun around, and I think I heard her mumble something about cute boyfriends, making my face heat up.

"So Ruri, is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest? I'd hope you know you can trust me, now."

I just shook my head. "There's nothing. Thankfully, it looks like time is slowly chipping away at the breakup pain. A little piece of light has broken through the deep darkness to ease my suffering."

"Whoa, careful there. Talk like that will make me think you're one of us now."

I couldn't help but smile. "I'll always be a dark angel."

His next words made my face bright red, forcing me to look down. "But an angel, nonetheless."

Before I could retort, our tea was set down in front of us by a smiling Kanae. "Sorry for the wait! Have we figured out what we want to order yet?"

Adam tapped a spot on the menu I didn't even see him open. "I'd like the double layer fudge cake, please."

"Ooh, a chocolate lover?" If Kanae was actually a cat, she'd probably be purring.

My friend chuckled a little. "It's a weakness."

The waitress then turned to me. "And you, my dear?"

After perusing the actual food items, my eyes lit up as they came to rest on tbe greatest invention of all mankind.

"May I have the strawberry pudding marshmallow cake?"

Kanae blinked. "Oh wow. Only _real_ sweets enthusiasts go for that."

"It's her favorite." Adam's gaze drifted from Kanae to me. "Which is why I chose this place."

The waitress clapped her hands together. "How sweet! Alright, I'll be back in a short while with your food." She then turned and skipped away. I think I overheard her say something about "making him mine", but paid it no mind.

I heard papers shuffling behind us, peeked over, and saw a man and his wife beside each other with a large newspaper in front of there faces. The next few moments were a crazy blur.

I turned to say something to Adam, but a waitress tripped and fell before I could. As the glasses she was holding shattered onto the floor, Adam shoved me down under the table, went down himself, and spread his arms out in front of me.

My friend's eyes were wide, his breathing heavy, and his entire body shaking.

"Adam?"

Suddenly, the couple that had been behind us ran up, tugged us both up, and revealed themselves to be Mihng and Yatsuhashi. Mihng sat by Adam, patting his back, while Yatsu looked me over.

"Hey, you alright?"

"I am, but what happened to Adam?"

He looked over at his friends and sighed. "Just... loud noises really freak him out."

"I'm okay, I'm okay." Adam waved to me and sighed. "Sorry about that. It's just a reflex, I'm all good." He then pointed to the other two. "But why were you _following_ us?"

Yatsu held his hands up. "I was worried about you, dude. Well, Mihng's a weirdo who ships real life people, but I was worried."

That comment earned him a swift elbow in the ribs. "I was worried, too."

Adam let out a sigh and fixed his hat. Those pointed dog ears were far too cute.

"I appreciate it, but I really don't like us being followed. If you would, please don't."

Yatsuhashi held out a balled fist, which Adam met with his own. "It's cool, man. Just be careful." He then closed one eye and grinned. "Just stay away from the love hotels."

Both my and Adam's faces turned bright red, and immediately Mihng grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him away.

"Let's go, you turd."

Without another word, the two left. My friend and I didn't have much time to speak before our cakes were set down before us.

"Meow! Dig in, sweethearts!" Kanae winked at both of us before bowing. After she took her leave, Adam started chuckling.

"What is it with us and food? Every big bonding moment we've shared since I came to Japan has been over a meal."

As much as I wanted to respond to him, I _had_ to take a bite of my cake first. As soon as the moist bread and creamy pudding touched my tongue, I was consumed with culinary ecstasy the likes of which no human would even be able to comprehend.

"Uh, Ruri? You okay? You look like you've seen Heaven."

"Maybe not seen, but I've certainly tasted it."

He flashed a wide grin. "Mind if I try it?"

Of course, I was more than happy to share this national treasure. Without thinking, I took a piece onto my fork and held it out to him. He didn't even hesitate to lean forward and eat right off of my fork. My face heated up a little, but seeing his face also made me smile.

"I love me some chocolate, but good gracious, this is some _amazing_ stuff!"

All of a sudden, an urge came over me that overpowered my sense of reason. "May I have a bite of yours?"

"Of course!" Just as I had, he held a piece of his cake out for me and I happily accepted. I don't think I've tasted so much chocolate in one bite. Its rich decadence washed over me like a sweet tidal wave. It was nothing like my own dessert, but it was on its own level.

"I can see why you love chocolate so much."

Adam popped a piece in his own mouth with a smile. "Weird... it tastes even sweeter than usual."

My eyes widened and I was half tempted to push him for that comment. Instead, I just smiled. "That's awful. Making passes at a woman recovering from a breakup."

He smiled, shrugged, and took another bite of cake. "Laughter is the best medicine and I am a doctor."

I sighed and began working on the sweet feast before me. As the two of us ate together, Mihng's words from yesterday echoed in my mind.

" _Do you like him_?"

Did I? I was having strong suspicions that Adam, even if he didn't harbor romantic feelings for me, at least thought of me as more than just an average friend. The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became. As great of a man as Adam was, the idea of entering a relationship and putting my heart in the hands of someone else again terrified me.

Not even the cake could distract me from these thoughts. My hands were shaking just a little as I tried to lift another bite up to my mouth. I was only brought back down to Earth when a gentle hand took hold of my own.

"Ruri, what's wrong?" The worry in Adam's eyes was all too evident. "You're shaking."

"Sorry, I... I started thinking about him again."

Adam got up, sat down beside me, and put an arm around him. "I could punch him if you want."

"I appreciate it, but that wouldn't really help."

Since violence wouldn't help, I guess Adam thought maybe a bit more chocolate might. At the very least, leaning forward and taking the sweet chunk from his fork took my mind off of Kyousuke for a time. I let out a sigh, turning to face the window next to us.

"I feel... broken."

Although my friend was about to shovel another piece of cake into his mouth, he set it down and looked at the window with me. "How so?"

I bit my lip. "I'm afraid now. Afraid of people. Afraid of judgement. Afraid of letting other people know how I feel. I mean, just look at you and I. Because of what happened, I've been afraid of telling you the truth when you've been trying to make it clear that I can trust you."

Contrary to what I believed would be Adam's reaction, he smiled. "I'm glad you finally realized. I can't count the number of times I've said it, but I'm here for you. All of us are, you know? And I don't just mean Mihng and Yatsu, either. Don't forget about Saori. Even though they're young, try talking to your sisters. Confide in your parents when you have a chance. You have a lot of people around you that want you to be happy, Ruri."

Hearing that did help me perk up, albeit not by much. "Thank you... but you're scaring me still. See, I'm not just upset that my now ex boyfriend dumped me, but it's also who he left me for. She was my friend too, and suddenly they _both_ just disappeared from my life."

I was trying not to cry again, but this time my efforts felt less futile. My eyes got a little misty, but there were no tears. "I wanted to be a greater part of both their lives, and instead I ended up getting pushed out of it. I've lost something dear to me, and I'll never get it back. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

Again, Adam's reactions were surprising me. He lowered his head to the point where his hat brim hid his eyes again. "Yes. Yes I do know."

My eyes went wide as a sudden wave of guilt washed over me. "Oh... I'm sorry. Here I am fretting over petty problems when you've no doubt got your own things to worry about."

Suddenly, my friend stood up, reached down, and grabbed my hand. "Don't ever talk like that. We're friends; your worries and problems are my worries and problems. Besides, the two of us are here for you, not me. Isn't that the whole reason you came to meet me?"

His logic was sound, leaving me unable to argue. As badly as I now felt about making this situation about myself, Adam was making it clear that that's how he wanted it. I wiped my eyes as he released me hand and reached for my cake again.

"Thank you, Adam. You really are a reliable friend."

He closed his eyes as he took that hunk of chocolate he had set down earlier. "Do you think it might be worth it to talk to them about this? Maybe you can't get those two back in your life, but surely keeping quiet isn't helping anything?"

"The thought crossed my mind, but I usually try to shake them out immediately."

Setting his cake aside, Adam set his chin in his hands. That must've felt odd with his facial hair.

"You're afraid of seeing them again?"

He saw right through me. "Yes."

He closed his eyes again. "I won't push you. I won't ask you to go see them. Just know that if you choose to do so, we'll be right behind you."

"Thank you." Talking with a fork in my mouth was easier than it seemed.

We ate the rest of our sweet treats in silence. When we were done, Adam paid for the both of us and we left. Apparently, the two of us weren't in there as long as I thought. Adam tapped me on the shoulder with a smile.

"You know, I really don't know much about this place beyond where I've shown. Do you feel up to showing me around? It might help you relax."

I just kind of stared at him for a moment before the corners of my mouth turned up to form a small smile. "Sure, I'd like that."

The two of us first decided to go back to the town's center. Once there, I told Adam about all the places of interest I knew about, allowing us to form a kind of route around town. The first few locations, like the small arcade and the town's manga shop, were visited in silence, but Adam spoke up on our way to the hot springs.

He was holding his hand out. "It's a bit crowded out today. Maybe we should hold on to keep from getting separated."

In all honesty, I would have preferred it if he had just asked if I wanted to hold hands. Now my face was red and hot as I stared at the open hand being offered to me. It felt rude to decline, so I reached out and set my hand in his own.

Despite the callouses from years of guitar playing, his hands were soft and gentle. His fingers closed around my hand softly, as if Adam were handling some kind of fragile glass. Even though we were just doing this to stay together, holding hands like this had me rather flustered. I can't really say it was unpleasant, though.

At first, my pace was quick, leaving Adam to kind of have to power walk to keep up with me. Eventually I slowed down so we could walk side by side again. When we got to the hot spring, Adam's eyes widened. It was typical for me, but I supposed this was something to behold for a foreigner.

"So _this_ is a Japanese hot spring! Wow, the air tastes so clean. I feel energized just being here!"

His excitement made me smile. "We should make use of the spring some time. Bathing here is very relaxing."

He nodded, but after a moment he turned to me with a reddening face. "Whoa, wait, hang on a sec, is that allowed here?"

It took me a moment to figure out what he meant, but soon my face was just as red as his. "No, no, no! Of course, there's a women's section and a men's!"

The two of us stared at each other for a moment before regaining our composure. Soon after, we both began laughing. Before I knew it, two arms were wrapped around me and I was hit with a sudden, but comforting warmth.

"Hanging out with you is so much fun."

I lifted my arms to return the hug. "I could say the same. Thank you, Adam. It's like our online chats in a more tangible form."

He started chuckling. "That's one way to put it. I'm just... really happy to have met you face to face."

"Yes, it was quite a nice surprise."

After a moment of thought, I shifted a bit closer to him. With both of us holding hands and staring at the hot spring, it was probably very easy for someone to get the wrong idea. Right now, though, I didn't really care.

"You know, at first I was afraid of seeing you. Afraid that you might not be the man you acted like online. I was wrong, though. You're just as kind and caring offline as you are on. It's... comforting."

Hearing this made him chuckle. "Ruri, you'll never have to be afraid of me. I promise."

"Thank you."

It took a moment, but we both finally agreed that we may have been standing around just a little too long.

"Think it's time to head home, Ruri?"

"I believe so. Would you... care to walk me there?"

He grinned and nodded. "It would be my pleasure, dark angel."

The walk to my house was quiet for the most part. I was grateful for it, though; silence meant time to think. Time to think about Adam. Time to think about Kyousuke and Kirino. Time to think about myself. Finally, we stopped in front of my house and Adam pat my shoulder with his free hand.

"I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow."

I just nodded. "I suppose so."

There was just a moment of awkward silence before I moved towards my house. Adam, however, kept a hold of my hand.

"Hey, did this... _technically_ count as a date? Between friends, I mean, but do the circumstances qualify it as a date?"

What a bizarre question. Now I was curious too. "I guess some might call it one. We spent most of the day together, enjoying other's company. So yes, I believe I would call it a date. As friends."

Adam grinned before letting go of my hand. "As friends."

We stared at each other for a long while before I finally turned towards my house. "Goodnight, Adam.

" Goodnight, Ruri."


End file.
